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waiting time in clinic

Posted By teeny fin

"waiting time in clinic"

About: Crosshouse Hospital / Dermatology

(as the patient),

my appointment was 10. 40 am on a Monday morning to see a dermatologist at an outpatient clinic. I arrived at 10. 35 am and was told to take a seat in the waiting area which I did. after 30 minutes a nurse quietly arrived in the waiting area and apologised for the delay saying that the clinic was running late.

a further 15 minutes went by and I asked the gentleman sitting next to me what time his appointment was for and he said 10. 30 am. the lady across from us told us her appointment time was 10. 20 am. it was now 11. 15 am. once more the clinic nurse came and again very quietly apologised for the delay and then left the waiting area again.

I was finally seen by a doctor at 11. 50 am.

at no time was any explanation given by anyone as to why the clinic was running so late nor were we shown where we could get a drink of water or where the toilet facilities were.

I asked where I could get a drink of water and the clinic nurse was kind and helpful showing me where the water cooler was.

I know emergencies happen in hospital and sometimes things go awry but I fail to see how a dermatology clinic on a Monday morning could possibly get so behind that patients were left sitting more than an hour over their clinic appointment time.

it would have been so much better if someone had just taken the time to explain why we were all left sitting so long.

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Responses

Response from Craig White, Assistant Director, Nurse Directorate, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 10 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Craig White
Assistant Director, Nurse Directorate,
NHS Ayrshire and Arran

Submitted on 10/10/2013 at 21:37
Published on Care Opinion on 11/10/2013 at 08:57

picture of Craig White

Thank you for using Patient Opinion to provide us with feedback on your experiences at the Dermatology Clinic.

We are very sorry that there was a delay in you being seen and agree that it would have been more helpful if you were provided with some explanation on the contributors to the delays. This is often related to a need to tailor a consultation to physical disability or sensory impairment – and in some cases could relate to additional time being needed to discuss concerns or support distress in relation to suspected or confirmed cancer.

Anxiety/frustration can be reduced if a clear explanation is given to people when they arrive and then updates are provided regularly. It is also helpful if the doctor acknowledges the delays when people are finally seen and recognises that your time is just as important as that of our staff.

We strive to ensure people are seen on time and with minimal delays or interruptions. We welcome feedback when experiences have fallen below our expected standard as this enables us to review our practices and processes. We will ensure that your feedback is shared with the Dermatology clinical team so that all learning and improvement actions can be taken.

If you would like to discuss this in more detail or be involved in telling your story to staff working on improvements arising from your experience, please contact Mrs Janet Shankland at janet.shankland@aaaht.scot.nhs.uk

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